‘I was terrified’: Trial against former Seahawk accused of beating girlfriend starts this week
Former Seattle Seahawk Chad Wheeler came face to face in a courtroom with the woman he’s accused of brutally beating.
Wheeler’s former girlfriend, Alleah Taylor, took the stand to testify against him on Thursday. He faces several charges stemming from an incident in 2021, including first-degree domestic violence assault.
“I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t breathe. I was terrified,” Alleah said during her testimony.
Wheeler was arrested in in March of 2021. Earlier that year, Kent police officers were dispatched to the home Taylor and Wheeler shared after being contacted by a friend of Taylor’s. Taylor had texted her friend saying she was locked in a bathroom after a physical fight with Wheeler.
When officers arrived, they heard screaming from inside the apartment. After forcing their way inside, they heard more screaming coming from the bathroom, court documents say. Officers found Taylor and Wheeler locked in the bathroom.
Taylor’s face was covered in blood and her left arm was limp against her body, according to a police report. An officer also noted she had “noticeable fingerprints on both sides of her neck as well as capillaries that had burst at the back of her throat.”
Wheeler allegedly choked her into unconsciousness twice.
A COVID-19 backlog had initially delayed the trial. Since the incident, Alleah has become a member of Sisters in Purple. It’s a survivor-led domestic violence coalition. They said after seeing the images of Alleah’s injuries and hearing her story, people should be uncomfortable.
“It could have easily been a homicide case versus a domestic violence trial,” said Co-Founder of Sisters in Purple, Angelina Rosado.
She added, “This case is horrendous. When you see the pictures it’ll make you uncomfortable. Seeing those pictures made me uncomfortable, it made the world uncomfortable. But you know who was more uncomfortable while that was happening was that survivor.”
They also said not all survivors have the strength to do what Alleah is doing right now, testifying against their alleged abuser.
“It can terrify somebody as well, it’s intimidating to go before and have to prove something. to prove something that you know was horrific and put it on display in front of all these people,” said Erika Ewing, Co-Founder of Sisters in Purple.
Angelina added, “It’s unfortunate in our justice system that she has to relive all of this again in order to receive some form of justice.”
